GlobalFoundries application for growth is reasonable; Malta Town Board should amend special zoning designation

The second largest computer chip factory of its kind in the world -- located practically smack-dab in the middle of Saratoga County -- wants the option of getting bigger.

It's a decision in the hands of the Malta Town Board -- which we hope can give its blessings to the request without blindly rubber-stamping but without unnecessary ado.

The company is GlobalFoundries, a computer chip maker that now has about 2,000 employees at its plant in Malta. In addition to the manufacturing, GlobalFoundries is planning this year to begin construction of a research and development facility on the site that would be done by late 2014.

Advertisement

On top of that, the company sees the potential demand for additional manufacturing space a few years from now. The building it is considering would be bigger and taller than allowed in the specially created Planned Development District that governs construction on the property.

That's where the Malta Town Board comes in. It's up to the board to decide whether to amend the special zoning designation.

It will come up for the first public discussion at a town board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

GlobalFoundries is asking for a decision in 90 days, after which comes the process of approving a site plan and issuing building permits.

The requested amendment would, in a nutshell, enlarge the footprint from 525,000 square feet to 575,000; increase permitted building height from 110 feet to 125; and expand the property devoted to clean room (essentially, the controlled manufacturing area) from 300,000 square feet to 475,000.

Town board members take seriously their responsibility to their constituents, as they should.

Board members should not be cowed into automatically giving the nod to a proposal simply because of its enormous role as a regional employer and its place in the global marketplace, as a company wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government, with other facilities in Germany and Singapore. They should approve the request, barring problems or objections that we, at this moment, cannot imagine.

Keep in mind that the Planned Development District was established about 10 years ago, before GlobalFoundries existed, when regional economic developers were courting chip manufacturers. The details were based on generic industry standards at the time.

When GlobalFoundries came on board, the towns of Malta and Stillwater (in which part of the property is located) amended the district in 2008 to allow for construction of the now-completed facility known as Fab 8. So it doesn't seem unreasonable for yet another amendment for further expansion.

Bear in mind that this additional chip-making factory, which it would call Fab 8.2, is at this point a "Maybe" with a capital "M." Having the required land-use approvals in place must be the first step.

The R&D facility, to be called the Technology Development Center, is a go, and will contribute to bringing the GlobalFoundries employee count in Malta up to about 3,000 by the end of 2014.

If GlobalFoundries also believes it has potential to expand its semiconductor manufacturing, let's make it possible for them to do it right here.